The chic and roomy shopper bags that can fit everything
Gold storage
By Gordon Ng -
Crafty and generously sized, this season’s array of designer carry-alls raises the bar on bring-your-own-bag chic.
The Le Pliage Torchon linen tote from Longchamp’s Provence-inspired Spring Summer 2022 collection is made in collaboration with Charvet Editions, a linen maker hailing from Armentieres in Northern France founded in 1866. (It continues Longchamp’s support of heritage French companies that began last year.) Here, a rustic tea towel with distinctive bleu-blanc-rouge stripes is transformed into a hardy, outsized adaptation of the maison’s popular foldable tote (it measures over half a metre in length and height). The material is machine-washable, while an additional shoulder strap makes the bag extra handy.
Raffia totes are arguably 2022’s new staple for channelling offhanded, casual chic. This roomy rendition from the Tod’s T Timeless line – accessories distinguished by the brand’s classic T symbol – is a great example. The homespun texture of beige raffia is complemented by a smooth brown leather trim and handles, while an elongated tab-style closure with the T -shaped hardware ups the sophistication and laid-back mood all at once.
The Chanel 22 is a bag that embodies Coco Chanel’s ethos of stylish, unfettered ease – available as a hobo or backpack meant to be an everyday companion. The M-sized hobo pictured here (there’s also S and L), for example, comfortably fits one’s workday necessities and more. For all its functionality, the Chanel 22 is also a fashion insider favourite with its luxurious details: the supple quilted calfskin finish; leather-laced chain straps; a decorative medallion with an openwork design of the double “Cs”; and who can resist its fun candy colours?
The house of Prada has been coming up with some of the most utilitarian yet desirable homeware (think lunch boxes, water bottles and the likes). This vibrant Bayadere-striped bag is from its beachy Spring Summer 2022 men’s collection but makes another case for Miuccia and Raf’s genius with luxury lifestyle products. Made of canvas, it sports egg-shaped cut-outs across the upper half on both sides, making for not only an unexpected design detail but also sturdy handles that can be gripped or worn comfortably on the shoulders. Zippers run alongside the entire top for a tidier (and more secure) closure, and if you think that that eats into its space, the whole tote is a capacious 65cm-tall and 48cm-wide.
Cheekily dubbed the Icare (read it how you want), this maxi-sized shopper from Saint Laurent offers a taste of Left Bank chic with its quintessentially Parisian details. For all its cushiness and throw-in-whatever-you-want ease, it’s crafted entirely out of supple lambskin quilted with a lozenge pattern then branded with an XL handcrafted Cassandre logo hardware. On the inside: a discreet chain, which can be tightened to cinch the bag into a more compact, trapezoidal shape or released for its full carrying capacity. Anthony Vaccarello cares very much.
With Gabriela Hearst at the helm, the French maison Chloe has introduced inspiring dimensions of craft and consciousness to its designs. One of this season’s loveliest big carry-alls is the Lolla, a Hearst reinterpretation of an archival Chloe bag from 2004. Its latest form is entirely knitted by hand from either organic cotton or nappa lambskin and accented by a vegetal calfskin trim across the top. Like the most thoughtful net-style bags, it comes with a removable zippered pouch.
The Bistro bag by Balenciaga is inspired by the archetypal rattan chairs of French cafes, evoking through name and design the relaxed (and romantic) air of alfresco dining and unhurried errands. This season’s version comes in organic cotton denim – washed and sanded for a worn-in, faded look – woven by hand on a wooden mould to form the bag’s classic trapezoidal shape.
Background Photos 123rf.com
This article first appeared in the May 2022 Taste Edition of FEMALE